


The one with the Yule Ball

by bea_weasley



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, M/M, Yule Ball, good black family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:00:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28429677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bea_weasley/pseuds/bea_weasley
Summary: They knew each other ever since they were babies, so it was simple to ask each other to the Yule Ball, right?
Relationships: Regulus Black/James Potter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 91





	The one with the Yule Ball

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AshJuillet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshJuillet/gifts).



> Dedicated to the best alpha in this world, Ash, for making me ship all these ships that I never thought before meeting her lol  
> I hope you enjoy this the same way I enjoyed writing  
> title based on Friends episodes titles

_**The one with the Yule Ball** _

The Black and the Potter family always were friends, since Walburga and Euphemia have been friends since before starting Hogwarts. Euphemia and her husband Fleamont only had one child — James — but luck for him, he had friends while growing up, namely Sirius and Regulus — Walburga and Orion’s sons — and Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa — cousins of Sirius and Regulus. 

The children often played together, even if they have some difference in age, this didn’t prevent them from finding some common ground. Andromeda and Narcissa usually play together, choosing to have pretend tea parties where they often invite their father and uncles — and even their sister and cousins to play with them. 

Bellatrix and Sirius were the most reckless of the group, finding excuses to play more dangerously that their mothers would like and inviting everyone over for a friendly quidditch game. But James and Regulus were the most adorable between them, with Regulus following James like he was the enchanted piper and he held all the stars in his hands; James liked to be a good influence for Regulus, since Sirius couldn’t hold back enough to think about his baby brother. 

They always thought that they would be friends forever when they met when they were only babies, and this was what happened with most of them. But for some of them, something changed when they were older.

* * *

When the Black sisters had started Hogwarts, they always sent letters to the others that stayed behind before they could attend it. When James and Sirius started Hogwarts, they made sure to send letters to Regulus, saying how they couldn’t wait for him to join them. Regulus never told anyone, but he cherished these letters with all his heart, and he could feel his heart beating fast when he saw an owl on the horizon. 

The summer before he started attending Hogwarts, all of them were reunited like when they were kids, but with some additions that Regulus never saw it coming: Bellatrix had brought home the Lestrange brothers — Rodolphus and Rabastan — and they look nice enough; Andromeda had invited Ted Tonks, a muggleborn that addorshiped the floor that she walked; Narcissa managed to invite one of the Sirius and James classmate, Lily Evans and she was enchanted with every movement that Cissy did. 

But it was the boys that James and Sirius invited that spoke volumes to Regulus: Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were the new best friends of the duo, and this made Regulus feel like he was left out. He could see that his brother was looking different at the Lupin boy, but this didn’t make any difference to him, since it was James that he never stopped looking at. 

“What do you think about the friends that James and Sirius invited over?” Regulus asked Bella one day, while they saw the four boys joking around just being loud boys in general. 

“They seem okay, I saw them sometimes at school and they’re polite enough with me,” Bella said, shrugging. This made a frown appear in Regulus’s face, because this isn’t what he was expecting her to say. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason, I think I’m only anxious to start Hogwarts,” Regulus dismissed, not understanding what’s happening on his insides. Bellatrix may have sensed what he was feeling, because a small smile appeared on her face.

“Don’t worry Reggie, we aren’t going to let you feel left out. We’re all friends,” Bellatrix said, hugging Regulus to her, which made the younger boy blush. 

* * *

Bella was faithful to her word, and when Regulus started Hogwarts, he never felt left out. Even with his brother and James in another house, the six of them still passed time together, sometimes just the six of them like the old times and sometimes with all the other friends they made when they started Hogwarts. 

Regulus thought that everything would be the same way until he finished his studies, but he couldn’t be more wrong. When he was in his fourth year, Hogwarts staff announced a Yule Ball and that’s when he realized that the only person that he wanted to ask, it’s the last person he would ask. 

“Why can’t you ask who you want to?” Narcissa asked, seeing her younger cousin pacing their Common Room. 

“Because I can’t, alright Cissy! This person would probably go with another person and I’ll be miserable during all the ball and I’ll never find love!” Regulus said, throwing himself next to Narcissa on the couch she was sitting, and the blonde couldn’t hold back her giggles. “Nice to know that my lack of love life amuses you.”

“I knew that we Blacks are known to be a little overdramatics, but I never thought that you were going to be like this too.” Narcissa said with an eyebrow raised. “You’re going to tell who you want to invite or I’m going to have to play guess?”

Regulus groaned, not really wanting to say to his cousin, but he knows that Narcissa wouldn’t judge him — not that anyone will judge him, but still, Regulus felt that he was judging himself. 

“I know that you’re scared Reggie, but don’t worry. We’re here for you,” Narcissa said smiling softly in Regulus direction. “If you want, I can even tell you who I asked to be my date.”

Regulus looked at Narcissa, who appeared to be fidgeting, but he couldn’t gather why, since Narcissa was the most collected person he knew. Hoping to encourage her, he smiled in her direction. 

“I asked Lily to be my date,” Narcissa said in a shy voice, and Regulus almost didn’t catch what she had said. 

“Wait, you mean, Lily as in  _ Evans? _ I thought that...” Regulus said, but stopped mid-sentence, as if a  _ Lumos  _ was cast on him. 

“You thought what? That she was going with James? Nah, they’re just friends, she said to me that he’s the brother that she never had,” Narcissa said, dismissing what Regulys was saying. “This means that you’re finally going to invite James?”

Regulus choked on his spit, not realizing that Narcissa may have known all along who he wanted to invite, but thought that he was going with someone else. But even if he found the courage to ask James out, he doesn’t think that he was going to accept his invitation. Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor Common Room, James was trying to think of ways to ask Regulus. 

“Prongs, I know my little brother. He wouldn’t want something outrageous, he will prefer that you go straight to him and ask him,” Sirius said, while he was lying on the couch. 

“But I can’t just ask him in a boring way, it needs to be perfect!” James said, continuing to pacing, missing the glances that his friends were sending his way. 

“I think that the fact that you’re going to ask him will be perfect already,” Remus said behind a book, not caring much about the drama unfolding in front of him. 

“What if he thinks that this is just me asking as friends? What if he doesn’t understand that I want to be  _ more  _ than friends?” James said, panicking. 

“Oh, for fudge’s sake! James Fleamont Potter! Stop pacing and listen to me!” came a voice from behind the marauders; Lily was making her way towards them. “Reggie has a crush on you for forever now! I bet that if you go to the Great Hall now and just ask him,  _ like a normal person,  _ he will say yes!”

“How can you be so certain about this Lily?” Peter asked, trying not to enrage the redhead more. 

“Because Cissy told me that is where he was going to be now and she said that Regulus was going to ask James himself.” Lily glared at the Marauders. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go get your date for the ball before someone else does it!”

James didn’t need to be told twice, he was already sprinting to the Great Hall with his friends following close behind. Didn’t take much for him to arrive at the Great Hall, panting and almost out of breath, but when he saw Regulus sitting at the Slytherin table with Narcissa, he knew what he had to do. Straightening his uniform, he went straight to the black-haired boy and without thinking much, pulled him to his feet. 

“James? What—” but before Regulus could have said something, James held up a hand and taking a deep breath, started to talk. 

“I’m sorry I took so long before I realized this, but I want you to know that I like you —  _ as in more than a friend —  _ and that I want you to be my date to the Yule Ball,” James said everything without stopping to breathe. He didn’t seem to realize that everyone in the Great Hall was silent. “What do you say? You’ll be my date?”

Regulus just stayed there, looking at James without knowing what to answer, since he never expected this to happen. If it wasn't for Narcissa poking him hard in his back, he probably would never have answered. 

“Yes, I would love to be your date!” Regulus said with a smile spreading on his face, and their friends soon were cheering loudly, but James and Regulus couldn’t hear anything, too caught up in each other to notice anything. 

* * *

Every student that attended the Yule Ball that year would say how adorable the Heir Potter and the Heir Black were, with their matching robes and how they couldn’t take their eyes off each other. It took a Yule Ball to make them realize that they have feelings for each other, but after that, they were never apart and were voted as the most adorable couple of the ball — to the despair of Sirius that said that him and Remus deserved more the title!


End file.
